Railway-tie



J flONLEY.

RAILWAY TIE.

(No Model.)

No 254,802 Patented Mar. 14,1882.

Fig.2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CONLEY, OF NEW BUFFALO, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO LUTHER V. MOULTON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

RAI LWAY-Tl E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,802, dated March 14, 1882.

Application filed March 13, 1880. Renewed November 10, 1880. Renewed August 13, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OONLEY, of New Buffalo, in thecounty of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Ties, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to the ties used in the construction of railways, Which are placed under the rails, and to which said rails are secured.

to The railwayties in common use, made wholly of wood, are objectionable for the following reasons: They decay in ashort time, and therefore require frequent renewal. The spikes by which the rails are secured to said ties are lia- 1 ble todraw out and allow the rails to cant over, to the injury of both the rail and tie, by the passage of trains, and also cause great danger of derailment of said trains. Said ties are also by their form necessarily embedded in the earth in such a manner thatthe vibration caused by passing trains has a tendency to form an open space in the earth alongside or under said tie, in which water is liable to collect, in which case a passing train will forcibly eject the water by pressing down the tie, which water will carry with it more or less of the earth, to the injury of the roadbed. Some of the ejected earth and water is also liable to be thrown upon the locomotives and cars, to their injury.

The ties made wholly or in part of metal heretofore used have been too expensive, and the bolts or other fastenin gs by which the rails were secured, having no relief from the concussion caused by passing trains, were liable to be 3 5 either loosened or broken 5 also, having no transverse projection into the earth, the track might be moved laterally by passing trains. All ties heretofore used have also been in one continuous piece throughout their length, ren- 0 derin g it necessary when repairing one side of the track to disturb the other more or less; also, when one end of a tie needed replacing with new, the whole had to be removed.

The object of my invention is to provide a 5 more durable tie than one of wood, also, to provide a more secure fastening for the rails; also, to secure a track of uniform gage without the use of track-gages; also, to provide means to prevent the removal or displacement of the earth underneath the ties 5 also, to provide forming a cavity in their under sides.

means for securing the rails at a number of points simultaneously by the use of only one bolt or fastening; also, to protect said bolt or fastening from the force of the concussion caused by passing train s; also, to provide means 5 5 whereby either side of the track may be repaired without disturbing any part pertaining to the other; and, also, as a consequence of the use of my invention, a meansof saving labor and materials for repairs.

Theinvention consists in constructing the tie of metal and divided transversely at or near the middleinto two or more parts; and, further, in turning down the sides and ends,'thus forming a cavity in the under side of said tie; also, in providing suitable lugs or hooks at opposite sides of the tie andopposite sides of the rail, together with a bolt or other suitable fastening through or upon the inner ends of the tie.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective, Fig. 2 a cross-section on the line w 00, Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 a ground plan, of a device embodying my invention.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.

A A are the ordinary T-railsQ B B is my '75 improved tie, which consists of two plates of iron or other suitable material, either plain or corrugated. Said plates are turned down at the sides and ends, as shown at G U 0, thus Said plates are also provided with lugs or hooks at D D D D, of suitable form to clasp the bottom of the rails A A, and located on opposite sides of the said rails and opposite sides of the tie,

as shown. The plates B B are also turned up at right angles at E, and secured to each other by a bolt or other suitable fastening.

The operation of my invention is as follows: By placing the plates B B under the respective rails A A in a diagonal position and then 0 bringing them into a position at right angles to said rails and opposite each other, the lugs or hooks D D D D will clasp said rails firmly, and a single boltor other fastening at E will secure both the tie and rails in position. The plates B B, being cut away and turned up at right angles at their inner ends, are thereby made elastic, andth us protect the fastening atE from the force of the concussion produced by the wheels of passing trains. The parts turned too I down at the sides 0 O serve to render the tie under the ties, less labor is required to keep more rigid under heavy loads, and also at the the track and road-bed in order. ends 0 U, to anchor the track to the road-bed WhatI claim and wish to secure is asfollows: and prevent said track from being moved lat- 1. The combination of the half-sleepers pro- 5 'erally by passing trains. The cavity thus vided with the hooks D D D D and fastening 25 formed also enables the tie to rest upon earth E,substantiallyas andfor thepurposespecified.

' that is protected from rain and is also higher 2. The combination of the fastenings E with than thesurroundingearth thereby effectually the plates B B, substantially as and for the preventing its disturbance by the action of purpose specified.

to water. Italso operatesto dispense with labor, 3. The combination ofrthe plates B B with 30 tools, and materials now required to lay and the hooks D D D D and the fastening E, subrepair the road. The position of the lugs or stantially as and for the purpose specified. v hooks D D D D determines the gage of the 4. In combination Withthe rails A A, the road, which will be uniform and certain withplates B B, hooks D D D D, and fastenings E [5 outthc use oftrack-gages. 11% spikesare used substantially as and for the purpose specified. 5

and no spike-mauls requirec By loosening the fastenings at E one side of JOHN GONLEY' the track may be raised or one-half of the tie Witnesses: removed without disturbing the other, and THEo. M. CARPENTER, 20 also, as the earth is more effectually retained E. A. STOWE. 

